UF baseball releases 2014 schedule

Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan has compiled a .778 winning percentage at McKethan Stadium entering his seventh year at UF.

Brad McClenny/Staff photographer

Special to Gatorsports.com

Published: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 10:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 10:31 p.m.

The Florida baseball team announced its 2014 schedule on Thursday in the program's 100th season of existence. The Gators' 56-game schedule features 34 games within the friendly confines of McKethan Stadium at Perry Field, where the squad is 175-50 (.778) during seventh-year coach Kevin O'Sullivan's tenure.

UF has over half of its games against opponents who advanced to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, including home series against Arkansas, Connecticut, LSU and Vanderbilt, and will have four series totaling 12 games against teams that reached Super Regionals, one of which advanced to Omaha.

For the 14th-consecutive season, and the 26th time in 28 years, the Gators will open their season at home, hosting a three-game series against Maryland from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16. Florida will be tested by the challenging 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule and will also face traditional Sunshine State rivals Florida State, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Florida, UCF and USF.

UF will clash with Florida State in three mid-week affairs, hosting the Seminoles on March 18, facing its arch-rivals on March 25 at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and visiting Tallahassee on April 8. The Gators visit Miami for three games over Feb. 21-23 and will meet Southern Miss in Pensacola on March 4 at the waterfront stadium at the Vince J. Whibbs Jr. Community Maritime Park. In addition, the Orange and Blue will host a four-day tournament from Feb. 27-March 2 with Florida Gulf Coast and Illinois in which each team will play one another twice. Other foes who will visit McKethan Stadium include Connecticut (March 7-9), Illinois State (March 12) and Mercer (May 6).

Following the SEC Tournament from May 20-25, Florida will be seeking its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh-straight Regional berth. Regionals will take place at 16 campus sites from May 30-June 2, followed by the best-of-three Super Regionals spread out among eight venues from June 6-9. Soon after, the eight survivors will advance to the 68th College World Series in Omaha, Neb., over June 14-25.

The five, three-game SEC home series pit the Gators against Arkansas (March 14-16), LSU (March 28-30), Georgia (April 18-20), Missouri (April 25-27) and defending league champion Vanderbilt (May 9-11). Florida will open the league schedule in Gainesville on March 14 against Arkansas and is not slated to face West rivals Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State during the regular season. For the ninth-straight year, the final weekend of the SEC regular season will be contested from Thursday-Saturday before the start of the league's tourney.

Stops on the Gators' road itinerary include trips to Texas A&M (March 21-23), Kentucky (April 4-6), South Carolina (April 11-13), Alabama (May 2-4) and Tennessee (May 15-17). UF's 2014 schedule boasts 22 games against squads that finished among the top-30 in the final version of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

<p>The Florida baseball team announced its 2014 schedule on Thursday in the program's 100th season of existence. The Gators' 56-game schedule features 34 games within the friendly confines of McKethan Stadium at Perry Field, where the squad is 175-50 (.778) during seventh-year coach Kevin O'Sullivan's tenure.</p><p> </p><p>UF has over half of its games against opponents who advanced to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, including home series against Arkansas, Connecticut, LSU and Vanderbilt, and will have four series totaling 12 games against teams that reached Super Regionals, one of which advanced to Omaha.</p><p> </p><p>For the 14th-consecutive season, and the 26th time in 28 years, the Gators will open their season at home, hosting a three-game series against Maryland from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16. Florida will be tested by the challenging 30-game Southeastern Conference schedule and will also face traditional Sunshine State rivals Florida State, Miami, Florida Atlantic, Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, North Florida, UCF and USF.</p><p> </p><p>UF will clash with Florida State in three mid-week affairs, hosting the Seminoles on March 18, facing its arch-rivals on March 25 at The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and visiting Tallahassee on April 8. The Gators visit Miami for three games over Feb. 21-23 and will meet Southern Miss in Pensacola on March 4 at the waterfront stadium at the Vince J. Whibbs Jr. Community Maritime Park. In addition, the Orange and Blue will host a four-day tournament from Feb. 27-March 2 with Florida Gulf Coast and Illinois in which each team will play one another twice. Other foes who will visit McKethan Stadium include Connecticut (March 7-9), Illinois State (March 12) and Mercer (May 6).</p><p> </p><p>Following the SEC Tournament from May 20-25, Florida will be seeking its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance and seventh-straight Regional berth. Regionals will take place at 16 campus sites from May 30-June 2, followed by the best-of-three Super Regionals spread out among eight venues from June 6-9. Soon after, the eight survivors will advance to the 68th College World Series in Omaha, Neb., over June 14-25.</p><p> </p><p>The five, three-game SEC home series pit the Gators against Arkansas (March 14-16), LSU (March 28-30), Georgia (April 18-20), Missouri (April 25-27) and defending league champion Vanderbilt (May 9-11). Florida will open the league schedule in Gainesville on March 14 against Arkansas and is not slated to face West rivals Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State during the regular season. For the ninth-straight year, the final weekend of the SEC regular season will be contested from Thursday-Saturday before the start of the league's tourney.</p><p> </p><p>Stops on the Gators' road itinerary include trips to Texas A&M (March 21-23), Kentucky (April 4-6), South Carolina (April 11-13), Alabama (May 2-4) and Tennessee (May 15-17). UF's 2014 schedule boasts 22 games against squads that finished among the top-30 in the final version of the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).</p>